Petals
by Demi Brackensick
Summary: Mulan never really knew how it felt to feel truly loved and accepted. Neither did Hercules for that matter; that is, until they find each other. A series of one-shots revolving around this unique crossover couple. Everything from action, to intense love, to humour, to the fights and to angst.
1. Loneliness

**Hey guys! So….I decided to do a bunch of one-shots between Mulan and Hercules; a crossover that no one has even considered doing in the first place, lol! Anyways, this has been on my mind for quite some time. They're mainly going to be based around the themes of love/acceptance/comfort and all that jazz! **

**So if you guys would be interested in helping, you can suggest anything you want to see between this unique crossover couple! Suggestions are welcomed and are greatly appreciated. If there's anything you want to see, feel free to throw it at me and I'll be more than happy to work my magic around it!**

**And yes, I know I'm behind on all of my other stories, but not to worry folks! I will get back to them as soon as possible! **

**So please like I said before, if you guys like this, please feel free to throw some suggestions as to what YOU would like to see and I'll be more than happy to interpret it into these one-shots!**

**Anyways, this might not be my best one-shot, but it was just something to manoeuvre around. **

**Anyways, show your love and read and review! Suggestions are welcome!**

* * *

Imagine walking down a long, narrow path and wondering when it will ever end. It feels like one is lost completely; almost as if they have absolutely no sense of direction. One would often wonder when or where to turn, but have not the slightest clue where to go. One wonders if they're suddenly worth anything to anyone; or if they should just give up completely and turn the other way around. Only to find that they're trapped inside a dark hole with nowhere to go but that same endless path sitting patiently right in front of them.

That was how Mulan felt.

She couldn't bring herself to feel or to be happy, no matter how hard she tried. To her, it felt like her soul had been continuously trudging down an endless pathway with only emotional pain and suffering. Feeling as if for all her life she had been wandering aimlessly in various directions in search of happiness, acceptance, love and comfort that she had hoped she would find with anyone.

But she was wrong. Painfully wrong. Everything around her had come crumbling down and shattering in pieces by her feet. Nothing had ever gone right. The past few days have been nothing but depression and hurt that trailed her every step. Everywhere she turned; it was like an instant slap in the face; or a hard punch to the gut. Loneliness was the only thing that surrounded her. It was the only thing that kept her company, even though she despised it.

Her body resting limply against the large bark of the tree trunk, knees pulled up to her chest. Her face was paler than usual as the colour was drained almost instantly. Her cheeks flushed and puffy; purple bags coated her eyes. Her usual short, black, silky hair was anything but alive and flowing, but rather hung limp around her face. She failed to stop the waterfall of tears that cascaded down her now pale and colourless cheeks.

This feeling was definitely something in which Mulan had grown used to, despite her hatred towards it.

She was forced to isolate herself from everyone and everything –including _him_- for fear that she would be judged, criticized and hated for being who she really was on the inside. Mulan knew that she would have to venture out of her shell at some point, but she could not bring herself to do it so blatant and so sudden. All she ever wanted to was to be accepted for whom she was, and not who people expected her to be.

She never wanted to be lonely in the first place. She never asked for this to happen. She didn't ask for her family to be disappointed in their only daughter. She didn't ask for people to hate her. She didn't ask to be different from a lot of young women her age. As much as the truth hurt and she had to admit; she _was _different from everyone. Almost as if she was so different that she did not belong on this planet after all.

Everything that has happened in her past would come back to haunt her. Every harsh word that one has said to her. Every harsh word that her ears were forced to digest.

'_You may look like a bride, but you will _NEVER _bring your family honour!'_

Those painful words were like an endless melancholy melody in her head that was forced on repeat. The words continued to haunt her; floating and swirling about in her brain. The words that she was forced to live with forever; that would never flee from her system.

Mulan inhaled a deep and heavy breath. Her vision was blurred with the salty, endless tears that raced one by one down her face. She could taste the bitter salt squeezing through her dry lips and seeping onto her tongue. She swallowed back a painful lump, but failed miserably as the sob that was wedged deep inside her throat had erupted. She sobbed. Her face buried in her hands; body trembling and shaking.

The sounds of the heavy waterfalls crashed to the ground. The wind gently began to pick up. The wind was soft and slightly crisp. Goosebumps arose; blanketed her warm flesh; her bare feet resting against the soft, evergreen grass.

All hope was lost.

Shattered.

Her confidence viciously ripped out of her soul. Mulan had failed to be comfortable in her own skin. She knew she didn't belong here. She was not meant to be in this world. So why was she still here? If all she's ever going to feel is loneliness and hurt, why waste the rest of her life being on this planet where she casted as an alien compared to everyone else? What was the point of being here if she no one would allow her to be the person that she was destined to be?

Why couldn't she just be loved and accepted for who she was? Who would ever love her? Who would ever comfort her? Who would appreciate her? Who would-?

"Mulan."

His voice was clear as day, and it nearly startled her. She gasped suddenly and whipped her head around in his direction. His tall figure loomed over her small and frail one. Her brown, hazy and tearful eyes locked with his crystal blue ones. His gaze was anything but happy, but rather worried and sympathetic. He stared into her dull and painful ones. Her gaze full of sadness and hurt. It deeply pained him to see her like this.

Instantly, he dropped down to the ground next to her, crossing his legs as he went. Her gaze followed his every move. She quickly tore her eyes away from his, feeling ashamed and embarrassed to even look at him. The silence that followed was deafening. The only sounds that were heard were the sounds of the endless waterfall that plunged their ears. He was beginning to grow anxious with each passing silence, but he remained in place as his eyes continued to glaze over the small and frail young woman sitting beside him.

"You've been here crying all day, haven't you?"

Mulan could no longer hold back the sob, even though she was tempted to dismiss the question completely.

Hercules only stared at the woman in shock. It never occurred to him how much pain she was in at the moment. He mentally cursed and scolded himself for being so completely oblivious to her feelings. He deeply cared for her. He loved her. And seeing her in pain and suffering hurt him; maybe even more than it was hurting her. He wasted no time in gathering her in his arms, gently lifting her body from the ground and placing her on his lap. She sobbed into his chest, grasping onto the material of his toga tightly; his fingers softly stroking through her silky hair, his chin resting atop of her head.

"You know I hate seeing you cry Mulan." Hercules whispered. "What's wrong?"

He gently peeled her from his chest. His hands resting on the tops of her shoulders, holding her firmly in place, waiting for her to calm down, and was satisfied once she did. Her gaze staring at his chest, careful to avoid his eyes. She closed her eyes as she felt his fingertips softly brush against her cheek, wiping away the fresh tears. She remained silent, unable to find the right words to speak. She felt as he tilted her chin to look into his eyes. His crystal blue eyes were calming to look at. She was always quick to find herself getting lost into his sea of irresistible eyes. Every time she locked gazes with his, comfort was all she felt. She knew she could tell him anything, even though it pained her to pour out her feelings to him.

Mulan chewed nervously on her bottom lip, unable to get the words out. This was all so new to her. She was crazy for suddenly feeling so self-conscious around the one man that she loved. And she knew deep down that he loved her back. Despite her feeling lonely all the time, he was her other half. They were connected. But lately, she lets her depression get to her, which results in the fact that she avoids him; fearing that he would suddenly turn around and leave her in the dust. But she knew that he was not like that. He was different. And so was she.

"Mulan…."

He whispered her name, pulling her out of her thoughts. She heaved a shaky sigh, gathered up her courage and blurted everything out.

"I don't like….who I am…"

That's when the words hit home.

Hercules gave her an incredulous look. His brow was furrowed in concern and worry. Had he really been this oblivious to not realize that her situation was this bad? Every one of those words that slipped from her mouth was like a punch in the gut. It pained him more to hear than it pained her to admit. But that wasn't all that he was feeling; guilt formed inside of him. Guilt for being completely unaware of this whole situation. Guilt for failing to pay close attention to the one person that was so important to him.

"W-what?" He stuttered. "Mulan….why would you-"

"I….don't like….who I am."

"But why? There's absolutely nothing wrong with you."

"No!" She shook her head, fresh tears filling her eyes. "T-that's not true!"

"What do you mean it's not true? Of course it is."

"No…Herc, you don't get it!"

"Mulan, why would you think I was lying to you? There is nothing wrong with you!"

"Yes there is!" She yelled; fed up with his attempt to comfort her. "I'm not normal, Hercules! Okay? I-I don't belong here!"

Hercules sighed. "Of course you belong here! You're perfect the way you are and-"

"I'm not perfect, Hercules!" She wailed, her eyes widened; literally bulging out of their sockets. "I-I'm not perfect! I-I'm not normal! Everyone h-hates me!"

"Mulan-"

"I-I just hate having to…pretend to be….something that I'm not….just so people can like me!"

"Mulan-"

"People hate me!" She croaked. "A-and I….h-hate feeling so….alone with nowhere to go! And-"

"Mulan!" Hercules said sternly; not being able to take any more of this. "Nothing is wrong with you. You are perfect just the way you are."

She bit down on her lip, hard. Hard enough to draw tiny droplets of blood; the bitter taste dancing among her taste buds. She fidgeted nervously in his lap, bowing her head down in shame. Her limp hair fell around her; face hidden and buried in her curtain of hair. She felt as he gently pressed his lips to her forehead; closing her eyes at the feeling of his lips coming on contact with her sensitive skin. His lips lingered there for a few moments, and Mulan could feel the beating of his heart against her own.

"Have you…..ever had those days where…." She began, voice slightly shaken. "You just feel…..alone…..like you don't belong here?"

Hercules's body immediately went stiff. His lips pressed tightly in a thin line. His forehead resting against hers. He knew he couldn't lie to her. He had to tell her the truth. If she felt comfortable enough to confess to him, then he would give her the benefit of the doubt. He inhaled slowly, his hands gripping tighter around her shoulders; as if he was afraid to let her go. He finally spoke.

"I have."

Mulan immediately pulled away; her brown eyes wide and shocked. Those two words were the last things she expected to come out of his mouth. It was almost as if she was going completely crazy of his response. She knew him, she really did. But she never expected someone as strong, brave and courageous as Hercules to ever confess to something like this. She blinked twice; her tears now dry and cracked slightly on her cheeks.

"You…have?"

Hercules closed his eyes shut, sighing heavily. "Yes. I have those days a lot….actually."

Mulan chewed on her lower lip, hesitating. "You think….the same thing about you….about everyone else….don't you?"

Hercules slowly lifted his eyelids, blue eyes boring into her brown ones. "Yeah…"

"Like….if people look at you…differently."

"Or…feeling as if…no one will allow you to be…who you really are."

Mulan froze. Her body going stiff; still as a statue. Feeling the wind being knocked right out of her chest. Her eyes searching his for an answer, but he didn't speak. So she was not alone after all. She never would have expected that the one person whom she cared and loved the most would ever feel this way; sad, lonely and depressed.

"I've had…people label me as a freak." He confessed. It hurt a lot. I never had any friends. Everyone hated me. I felt like….such a complete idiot for thinking that…I meant something to everyone. But….it turned out I was wrong."

Now it was beginning to make sense. All those times where she avoided him, he was following right on her trail; heading in the same direction. Those times where she felt like nothing but a worthless little ant lying in the middle of the vast desert with nothing but land surrounding her, there he lay right beside her. Those times where she was trying so hard to desperately hide from loneliness and abandonment and not realizing that she was being pulled into the dark isolated world of loneliness, he was being sucked in too; only deeper.

She knew there was something different about Hercules. Something that she loved about him. Every one of his words described her feelings exactly. It was as if she was staring right at her reflection in his eyes, and he could only think the same thing. Guilt clouded her emotions. Feeling guilty that she was so selfish not to realize that he needed her just as much as she needed him. They both had something strong that connected them together in an instant.

Hercules's voice was barely a whisper. Mulan blinked twice before snuggling up close to his chest. She could feel the sob that threatened to rise in his throat, but he swallowed it back down, not wanting to show any sign of weaknesses. He hugged her tighter to his chest, placing a soft kiss atop of her head. Love and comfort was what the both of them felt with one another at this point.

"I've had….someone say something like that….to me before."

"Yeah?"

Mulan nodded against his chest, swallowing the painful lump. "That I….wasn't fit to be a wife….and that I would never bring….my family honour."

"I-I'm…..I'm so sorry, Mulan." Hercules whispered.

She shut her eyes, fresh tears beginning to spill down her cheeks. She had remembered it like it was yesterday. She couldn't get rid of it no matter how hard she tried. But it pained her deeply to admit that maybe the matchmaker was right. Maybe she wasn't fit to be wife, or to bring her family honour. Maybe she was a disgrace.

"Words hurt a lot, I know they do." He cooed soothingly. "Not everyone will accept you for who you are."

She choked on her sob. She snuggled closer to his chest; desperate for his warmth, his love and his comfort that he blanketed her with. The three things that she's craved for so long. And he only craved the same thing from her in return. They desperately craved for each other's comfort and love. The words eating away at their hearts. He planted another gentle kiss atop of her head, his lips slowly beginning to pepper her forehead, her eyelids, her nose, and her cheeks where he kissed the tears away and finally, they brushed softly against hers. But Mulan felt too numb to return the kiss back, even though her heart thudded violently against her chest at the warmth he offered her.

"My mother….always told me," He murmured against her lips. "The worst loneliness is to not feel comfortable with yourself."

Hearing his words only made her resume back to her previous sobbing session. She knew he was right, and his words meant absolutely no harm. But his words only made her cry harder than before. She wasn't comfortable with herself. She wasn't comfortable in her own skin. And neither was he. They were both lonely and in desperate need of love, affection and appreciation.

"I know it hurts…" Hercules began again, his voice faint, almost sounding as if he was in pain. "But you just have to believe in yourself, Mulan, we both do. We need to trust our instincts and not let people determine who we are. It's the only way we can…ever find happiness."

Right then and there, she knew he meant every single that he had said. She could hear the love in his tone; the love that she craved all this time. He was right and she knew. But that was not all that she knew. She knew she had found the one person that truly loved her; cared for her. He genuinely cared and loved her. And she loved him back. Hercules was who she needed all this time. And she was who he had searched for, only to collide together in an instant.

"Y-you…." She stuttered, hiccupping and lifting her head from his chest. "You're right."

He cracked a weak smile, wiping the tears from her eyes with this thumb. He pressed his lips to hers softly; barely returning the kiss. She gently pulled away, her hands resting on his shoulders, their gazes glued to one another.

"H-how did I…get so lucky….to have you in my life…" She croaked.

His smile grew wider, bringing her hands to his lips and placing soft kisses on her fingers.

"I ask the same thing about you, sometimes."

That was the sweetest thing that anyone has ever said to her. His words were genuine. Looking into each other's eyes, they knew they were each other's missing halves that had joined together in an instant. She replaced her fingers with her lips as they found his, the two lonely lovers sharing a sweet and passionate kiss with one another; pouring out all of their loneliness and sadness into the kiss that they both hungered for what seemed like eternity. Her lips parted with his and his tongue found hers, dancing together.

She was his. And he was hers. And that's all that they needed. No matter how lonely either of them would feel, they knew deep down that will always have each other to lean on for love, support and comfort; the three things that they deeply craved.

A sigh lingered on Mulan's lips, her head buried in his chest, enjoying the rhythm of his heartbeat and her eyelids closed. Hercules sighed in content, listening to the sounds of her soft breathing.

Never in all of their lives had they felt so loved and appreciated.

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**The ending wasn't the greatest, but it was worth a shot! R&R if you loved it! As I said before, suggestions and ideas are welcome and appreciated! Oh and by the way I forgot to mention, it would be greatly appreciated if I had a beta with these. So if any of you are interested in being my beta, don't hesitate! Just send me a PM! Thanks guys!**


	2. Patience

**Sooooo…I've received some positive feedback of this and I want to give a big and warm shout out to my loyal reviewers! You know who you guys are! Thanks so much guys! It means the world to me!**

**And last but not least, I want to thank my newest beta, Fizzy Starburst for helping me out and being my beta for this! Thank you so much! It means the world to me that I have someone like you to help me with this!**

**But anyways, this might not be my best one-shot, but I hope you guys like it anyway. And like I said before, if any of you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate. Feel free to throw them at me and I will be more than happy to interpret it into these various one-shots! **

**Anyways, enjoy guys! Suggestions are welcome and appreciated!**

* * *

"AARRGGHH!"

Hercules supressed a loud and uncomfortable groan. He felt as his body landed smack on the ground; a loud thud erupting from the impact of his large weight viciously meeting the ground. His face had met the ground beneath him; managing to spit out the chunks of dirt that had accidently slipped passed his lips. He remained sprawled out on the ground; feeling nothing but weakness slowly beginning to creep inside his system.

"Come on you big lug! Get up!"

Hercules heard Mulan's voice calling from above him. He was certain he could hear the smirk that played on her lips. Another loud groan escaped his lips, but it was no groan in pain; but rather a groan in annoyance. The young soldier in training put her hands on her hips, trying to keep her laugh inside of her system, even though it threatened to escape at any point. Her small figure loomed over his large one that was sprawled out on the ground beneath her.

"I…cannot believe….I am getting beaten by a girl…" Hercules mumbled under his breath into the ground.

He slowly began to rise up from the ground, using his hands to help balance and support his weight as he pushed off the ground. However little did he know what was about to come his way; almost as if he was completely unaware of what was about to come next. It came so quickly in such a blur, when out of nowhere he received a swift and hard kick to his shoulder; which instantly intervened with his balance as it knocked him straight back to the ground; only this time he landed hard on his back.

"AAAARRRGGGHHH!"

He yelled in pain, realizing that the aggressive kick came from none other than Mulan, who was smirking above him; arms crossed over her chest and her head cocked to the side. His brow creased in fury and annoyance, shooting her down with a threatening glare. He lifted his lips to speak.

"What the heck was _that _for?" He demanded through clenched teeth.

Mulan chuckled darkly, shaking her head at how ridiculous her clumsy, but loveable boyfriend was looking right now. It baffled her to see how easy it was for her to knock him down to his feet with one swift movement. But then again, it didn't surprise her how incredibly tough he was on himself. She pushed the loose strands of hair from her face, tucked them behind her ear and slowly crouched down towards him; placing her hands on his chest and teasingly inched her face closer towards his. Hercules was sure he could feel his heart thudding loudly against his chest the closer her face got to his. He was sure that she was about to lean down and kiss him, but was surprised to find that her lips were teasingly close to his ear instead.

"That was for complaining that you're getting creamed by….._a girl_."

She whispered that playfully in his ear; her lips beginning to nibble on his ear in the process, knowing full well that it would absolutely drive him crazy and possibly even distract him from the negativity rise inside of him at any moment. Another groan escaped passed his lips, but was also met with a deep sigh in pleasure; enjoying the distraction of his girlfriend's lips nipping playfully at the sensitive skin of his earlobe. Mulan was satisfied that her distraction was beginning to work, pulling her lips into a playful grin. However, it wasn't long until her plan suddenly began to backfire; Hercules's eyes suddenly clouding with anger and annoyance.

"There's no need to rub it in." He muttered angrily under his breath.

Mulan instantly let out a soft chuckle; her warm breath sputtering against his flesh, pulling her head away from his ear and resting her forehead against his; their noses brushed against one another's. She gently pats his chest; while she used her other on to softly stroke her fingers at the side of his cheek. Her curtain of silky hair fell over her face and gently brushed against his cheeks.

"Hey, lighten up." She cooed tenderly; planting a delicate kiss upon his lips. "You've been working hard all day. Don't beat yourself up so easily."

"Umm, it's kind of hard not to when you're getting pummelled into pudding by someone who's way smaller than you." He muttered sarcastically.

"It just takes a lot of time and practice, that's all."

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say…"

Mulan giggled. "Oh stop you're whining. Let's just take a break and call it a day. You could really use the rest."

Hercules scoffed in annoyance. "Thanks. Way to make me feel like a man."

Realization finally hit her. Hard in the gut. His harsh words felt like an instant slap in the face. Mulan only pulled away quickly with aggression. Her brow creased with anger and annoyance as she pushed away the loose strands of her hair; glaring at the young man sprawled out beneath her. Nothing but annoyance formed inside of her system. Here she was trying to be a good girlfriend, only to have her sucky boyfriend whining and complaining. This was the thanks she got in return?

"Oh, so that's how you're going to act then?" She challenged. "Like a sucky little baby?"

Hercules winced slightly at the sound of her tone. He never meant to sound so harsh and to act like such a suck. He was letting his anger and impatience get the best of him without even realizing. He knew that the right thing to do was to owe his girlfriend an apology, but something else was tugging him to do otherwise.

"Yeah…" He responded rather bluntly. "It seems like it's the only thing I'm good at."

Mulan rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she tried her best to remain calm and to not let her anger get the best of her.

"What is it with you men and being so competitive?" She demanded angrily. "The one time a girl beats you, you make it seem like it's the end of the world for crying out loud!"

"Well in case you haven't noticed; theoretically speaking, men were built to be strong, they weren't built to be….weak and defenseless!"

"Oh, so you're saying that as a _woman_, I'm supposed to be weak and defenseless?"

"Yes! Why not?" Hercules literally wailed; throwing his hands up in the air. "Maybe then I can feel more like a man than I ever did!"

That's when the words hit home. Hitting her hard in the gut. Her eyes clouded with intense anger. Her face so red that steam pretty much seeped out of her ears. How dare he say something like that to her! And to think, she thought he was different from the other men out of there. Without even thinking, Mulan immediately rose from the ground, threatening her so-called boyfriend with a piercing glare.

"So you're saying that in order for you to feel more like man, I have to be weak and defenseless?"

That's when realization hit Hercules. He knew he had taken things way too far, and now here he was; arguing with his girlfriend who was only trying to do him so good. And how does he thank her? By dumping all of his anger and frustration onto her; knowing full well that she did not deserve to hear any of those words that had mistakenly slipped out of his mouth. He heaved a deep sigh, and slowly sat up from the ground; his blue eyes looking up into her chocolate brown eyes, begging and pleading for forgiveness. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Mulan," He began. "Y-you know that's not what I meant. I'm sorry-"

"Oh I think it's _exactly _what you meant, Hercules!" She responded harshly; her words were cold, lacking any kind of sympathy. "You're just as stupid and ignorant for even saying something like that to me!"

"Mulan, please!" He begged again. "I never ever meant to say anything like that to you! I-it was a mistake and-"

"No! You want to know what the _real_ mistake was?" She threatened. "When I chose _you_ for a boyfriend!"

Without a word, she turned on her heel and dashed down in the opposite direction; leaving a bewildered Hercules desperately staring after her; his eyes never once leaving her back; mentally scolding himself. Regret formed inside of him; regret for taking his anger out on her. Regret for even letting his stupid words hurt the one person that he loved. And regret for letting his ignorance and frustration cost him the only woman that he held dear to his heart.

* * *

The one skill that one does not have but would most definitely benefit from would be patience. However, patience does not come that easy to an individual. Mastering this skill can be rather difficult, frustrating and problematic as there are many pros and cons that enter into the equation.

This was something that Hercules could benefit from.

Throughout his whole life, it was never easy for him to patient with himself. He couldn't. He could never understand why it was so hard for him to accept the challenges that came with life. It wasn't the fact that he was frustrated with anyone else; especially with the woman he loved, but what he didn't realize was that the person he was frustrated with most was himself. He was a young man with very little patience whatsoever.

He heaved a deep and painful sigh, inhaling the fresh air of the sweet scent that filled in his lungs. The sun was just about setting down to its peak; the sky filled with the pinks, the yellows and the oranges that shimmered and reflected off the clear, blue waters of the ocean. He stood, watching the sun set on the beach; the warm water coming in contact with is bare feet as it soothed him; washing away the sand that cluttered his feet.

He hated feeling like he was worthless. He hated feeling like he was weak.

He regretted every single word that had accidently slipped out of his mouth. He regretted taking his anger and frustration out on the one woman he loved the most. It wasn't Mulan's fault that she was skilled and experienced in the field of Kung-Fu. She had been training her whole life to get to where she was now. She had offered to teach him and to help him out, only to have him sulk whenever he would end up losing. He had never meant to make her feel bad for only trying to help him improve; and now because of his ignorance and anger, he knew deep down in his gut that he had lost the one and only woman that he's ever loved.

He had pushed her away. He had lost her; he knew that. Possibly forever.

Hercules knew he had no one to blame but himself. The more she would lend him a helping hand, the more he pushed her away every time. Did she feel like every time he blocked her out that he blamed her? It made him sick to his stomach to even think that he would ever blame her for anything. So why was he so hostile and defensive towards her whenever she beat him?

Maybe it was because of how he was treated back in the past. He remembered vividly of the looks of disgust that were thrown his way from each and every single citizen in his town; and he remembered each and every single word that was said to him, no matter how painful it was to hear.

'_That boy is a menace!'_

'_He's too dangerous to be around _NORMAL _people!'_

'_You keep that….that…._FREAK_ away from here!'_

He shuddered at the thought of hearing those horrible words on repeat in his head. As much as he hated it, he was forever scarred. He would never be able to digest those words; or get rid of them. He couldn't get rid of them. Those words were like permanent ink that is forever marked on his skin. Words that he cannot erase. Words that were injected inside of him that would never leave.

Now he deeply regretted everything that has happened; and he wished for nothing more than to take those words back from the love of his life. Only he couldn't; and now he had made her suffer. He had mistakenly dragged her down a dark whole alongside with him. He mentally scolded himself; cursing under his breath as he tried to prevent the tears that threatened to escape. If only he had handled things differently.

"I'm such an idiot!" He cursed to himself.

If only…..

If only…..

"You're not an idiot."

He whirled around. Her soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Her arms tightly crossed over her chest; slowly making her way towards him. He kept his eyes trained on her, not taking them away. Regret and guilt only formed inside of him. His eyes immediately begged hers for forgiveness. Pretty soon, she was standing right in front of him; her eyes were cold with a hint of grief. He winced at the sight of her spiteful eyes boring into his remorseful ones; knowing full that he had crossed the line with her, and now it was time he owed her nothing but a sincere apology.

"Look, Mulan," He began. "I'm really sorry for everything that I said to you. I-I….just….I wasn't thinking. I-I never meant to make you angry….and I never meant to hurt you."

But Mulan only kept quiet. Her mouth pressed into a firm line. She blinked once, twice.

Hercules was growing anxious with each passing silence. He was eager to hear her speak; swaying his body nervously from side to side. His hands began to shake and tremble, but he tried not to make it obvious. He opened his mouth to speak again.

"I-I know it was extremely wrong for me to say those things to you. All you were trying to do was help….and I took all of my anger and frustration out on you."

Mulan stared; eyes still cold. Her feet planted firmly in place, unable to speak.

"I'm an idiot, Mulan. You were right, I-I don't deserve someone as wonderful as you. Y-you've been….nothing but kind to me and…..I-I always reprimand you for it."

Mulan's face suddenly softened; realizing that his apology was sincere, and not just an act. It was starting to pain her to see how vulnerable this young man was. She knew she would have to forgive him eventually.

"I-I…..I'm not skilled like you are…" He stammered; tears beginning to spill down his cheeks. "I know….that I'll never be. I-I'm….just so much of an idiot….to believes that…..I could actually be something….and…."

"Shh."

Mulan softly silenced him, inching her body closer towards him and placing her fingers against his lip; using her thumb to gently trace the flesh of his lower lip before moving up to wipe away the fallen tears from his face. She enveloped him in a comforting hug; her arms wrapped loosely around his neck, while his arms circled her waist, desperately pulling her close; his face buried in the nape of her neck as he inhaled the sweet scent of her cherry blossom perfume that tickled his nose.

"You're not an idiot, Herc." She whispered against his neck. "And none of what you said about yourself is true."

"But it is." He sighed; pulling his face away so he was now staring into her eyes. "Whenever I want to do something….I-I can never do it!"

"Because you give up too easily. You just have to try harder than you're used to."

"But even if I do try, it never works!"

"And that's why you have to keep practicing, so you can get better."

"But I always end up failing in the end!"

"Herc, just stop for a second." Mulan instructed. "Do you hear yourself?"

Hercules immediately closed his mouth shut; his pressed into a thin line, unable to release the words from his mouth. Mulan opened her mouth to speak.

"The reason why nothing ever works for you is because you are way too hard on yourself. Whenever nothing goes right the first time, you're quick to just turn your back and give up."

Hercules kept quiet; chewing on his lower lip.

"What you need to do, is to be patient with yourself. That's how things will get better for you."

He forced himself to listen to every single one of her words intently; slowly digesting them one by one carefully. He knew she was right. She always was. His response was to suppress a heavy sigh; bowing his head down in shame and embarrassment. He could feel as her fingertips caressed his cheek in comfort; her eyes searching his for any kind of response.

"I-I try to be patient with myself Mulan." He confessed. "But I….I just can't be."

"And why can't you?"

She lightly tilted his chin with her fingertips; forcing his blue eyes to look right into her wide brown ones and she couldn't help but regret it instantly. Staring into his vulnerable eyes told a different story. Remorse formed inside of her; remorse for every single word that had slipped out of her mouth and literally slapped him in the face, silently wishing that she could take those back. It never occurred to her how oblivious she has been towards his feelings. He was angry. He was frustrated and he was hurting deeply. She knew she had to get to the bottom of this and straighten things out.

"Herc, what is it that's really bothering you?" She questioned. "You've been really down on yourself lately."

Hercules's body immediately went stiff, hesitating. "Just….remembering back when I was kid….the way people used to look at me; tease me and tell me that I'm a freak and that….I'm not good enough to become anything."

Mulan sighed, cupping his face in her hands. "I know it's hard to relive that, but you can't hold on to that forever. You have to trust yourself to move forward, and that things will fall into place at the right time."

"But what if it doesn't? What if I'm….destined to be a loser and a freak for the rest of my life?"

"If you keep thinking negative thoughts like that, then chances are it will happen that way. But if you just trust your instincts and be patient with yourself, then it will be better."

"I want to Mulan, I really do!" He sighed in frustration. "But….you don't know what it's like to have people treat you as if you're nothing. I-I mean…..you've never had people tell you that you would never train to become a soldier!"

Hearing his words only caused Mulan to press his lips in a firm line. So it was true that the only person that she's loved did not really know anything about her past, or the many challenges that she's had to face in order to get to where she was today. Truth was, she had always been so ashamed to share her history with anyone. But now seeing how hurt and down her boyfriend was, she thought otherwise; before opening her mouth to speak.

She whispered, closing her eyelids shut. "Actually Hon, you're wrong."

Hercules eyes widened in shock; feeling as if her words had caught him completely off guard; feeling as if the wind knocked him right off of his feet. That was the last thing he would have ever expected to slip out her mouth, especially his girlfriend of all people.

"I'm wrong? W-what do you mean?"

Mulan bit down on her lower lip, before speaking. "I went through the exact same thing back in my past."

"Y-you mean…..you've had people tell you…that-"

"That I'm not fit to be a wife, and that I would never bring my family honour. Or that I'm too weak to join the army. That as a woman, my only job is to stay at home and do chores around the barn. That I wasn't…fit to be a soldier…..just because I'm a woman."

Hercules kept quiet; his hands grasping onto hers as he held onto them.

"Believe me, you weren't the only one that's been hard on yourself." She began; slowly lifting her eyelids open and staring into his blue ones. "People would look at me different, and tell me that I would never become anything that I would set my mind to. I've had doubts about achieving anything. But you know what helped me get through everything?"

Hercules stared, waiting patiently for her answer.

Her lips curled into a weak smile. "Patience. I eventually learned how to be patient with myself, to trust my instincts and just push all those negative thoughts out of my head. I worked hard, practiced what I needed to do every day and finally in the end, it worked. And that's when everything fell into place for me."

Hercules suppressed a deep sigh, feeling ashamed of himself; bowing his head down and staring down at his now soaked feet, along with hers as well.

"I showed those people, and I proved to them I was worthy of doing anything that I set my mind to." She continued. "And I'm telling you this Herc; if I can trust my instincts, be patient and set my mind on what I truly want, then you definitely can too."

She cupped her face in her hands yet again; tilting his face up towards hers, her thumb softly stroking his cheek.

"I truly believe in you." She whispered, pressing her nose against his. "And I will do everything in my power to help you, to guide and stand by you at all times. I'll never give up on you. You just have to trust me, but most importantly, you have to trust yourself."

He felt as she lightly pressed her lips against the tip of his nose; his hands still wrapped loosely around her waist. He knew she was right. As much as he would hate having to wait and to be patient for God knows how long, he knew that he had to. He knew that it was the only way that he would ever achieve anything if he really wanted something that bad. He thanked the Gods that he had someone as strong as her, and he knew he was lucky to have such a wonderful person is his life. Someone that loves him unconditionally, someone that is patient and is willing to guide him through the challenges and someone that accepts him for who he is.

Mulan was definitely different from a lot of young women, but different in a good way, and Hercules loved that about her. He never would have guessed that someone like her would endure the same challenges that he's had to deal with. But that only goes to show that they both have something in common with one another. She was right about everything. Patience would not only help him in everyday life, but it would benefit a lot as a valuable character trait as well.

Hercules sighed; lips barely brushing against hers. "I guess you're right….as always."

Mulan couldn't help but grin. "Of course I am."

Hercules frowned playfully. "Are you trying to brag now?"

"No…I don't have to brag because….I'm always right."

"Yeah, yeah whatever." He chuckled, claiming her lips with his as the two shared a sweet and passionate kiss with one another. His lips parted with hers, softly biting down on her lower lip as her body shivered in his arms.

"You know….what I want to do…right now?" She teased in between kisses.

"Go back….to the cottage….and maybe….._snuggle _up together?" Hercules murmured playfully against her lips. But apparently Mulan had other things planned.

"No…." She moaned, wiggling herself out of his grasp as she punched him aggressively in his chest. "Practice more sparring!"

Hercules groaned, clutching onto his chest tightly, his eyes clouding with fake anger. "Of course….you would!" He muttered through clenched teeth.

Mulan laughed, immediately positioning herself in fighting stance, smirking. Hercules sucked in a gulp full of air and quickly got into fighting stance; feeling prepared as ever. Before he had time to blink, Mulan had thrown a swift kick to his stomach as he hunched over in defeat; feeling as if the air and wind had just been knocked out of him. A giggle escaped from Mulan's mouth.

"Done already?" She mocked. "You are an easy target, aren't ya?"

That's when the words hit home, and that's when he's had enough. Hercules eyes clouded with instant anger, feeling his inner monster raging inside of him. No, he was definitely not going to take any more of this. He was through with being told he would never do anything he set his mind to. And he was through with letting his girlfriend beat him. He let out a loud growl, whirling his body around as he threw a hard punch with his fist and surprisingly, he aimed right he wanted; aiming right in Mulan's stomach.

She grunted and groaned in pain, clutching her stomach tightly. She bit down on her lower lip, before instantly springing into attack mode. All that could be heard were the sounds yelling and grunting echoing in the air; the two throwing kicks, punches and strikes to one another. As Mulan attempted to swing a kick right to Hercules's jaw, it surprised not only her but him as well as he firmly grabbed hold of her ankle with his left hand, while he used his other to grab hold of her fist. He lifted her into the air effortlessly, swung her around and threw her into the air; her body landing smack on the ground with a loud thud right on her back.

She gasped, feeling the wind being knocked out of her and let out a groan in pain. Realizing that he had been so rough and furious, guilt and remorse formed inside of him as he wasted no time in sprinting towards his now injured girlfriend; dropping to his knees as he gathered her in his arms.

"Oh my Gods!" He gasped in fear. "Mulan, baby I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to…..p-please tell me you're okay!"

To his surprise, Mulan let out a painful sigh before cracking a weak smile and looking straight into his worried blue eyes; reaching up to stroke his cheek with her hand.

"Y-you…..you did it." She croaked.

Hercules stared at her, bewildered by her response.

"I did…what?"

Mulan laughed weakly. "I told you…..patience is the key."

* * *

**Cheesy ending, I know. Sorry about that guys! What did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? If you loved it, show your love and R&R! If you didn't, then that's cool too! Anyways, I want to thank my two loyal reviewers and good friends, DisneyChick2012 and bs13! Thank you guys again so much for your encouraging reviews! There will plenty more one-shots and fluff ahead for this unique crossover couple! And I want to give a big and warm shout out to my beta, Fizzy Starburst! You're the best! Anyways, thanks guys! More to come soon! And don't forget, your suggestions and requests are much needed and appreciated! Thanks guys! Mwah!**


	3. Count Your Blessings

**As I mentioned before guys, if you have any suggestions or requests, please do not hesitate to tell me! I'll be more than happy to incorporate your ideas and requests into these various one-shots!**

**Anyways guys, here's the next one-shot! Hope you guys enjoy! I decided to make this one a cute and fluffy one! Hope you like! This one was beta'd by daisygirl101! Thank you so much! You're the best!**

**SUGGESTIONS/REQUESTS are welcome and appreciated!**

* * *

Hercules couldn't sleep. He wasn't sure if it was because his body wouldn't allow him to, or if it was because his mind just simply refused to rest altogether. He just couldn't quite put his finger on it; not at all. He had asked himself this same question many times, but it was as if his mind had gone completely blank; crystal clear like water. Of course, this wasn't the first night he was unable to fall asleep, no. For him, this was definitely an ongoing problem, or so he convinced himself otherwise

A loud sigh was the only sound that escaped his mouth. He lay patiently on his back, closed his eyelids shut for a second or two, only to have them pop right back open once again. He had no choice but to keep his blue, pleading eyes fixed on the wooden ceiling that loomed over his form. Growing bored after a few seconds of staring at nothing but the ceiling, his gaze ventured to the tiny little balcony of his cottage. The crisp night air blew swiftly through the flowing curtains of his bedroom as they danced gracefully with the delicate wind seeping inside. He breathed a content sigh as the wind placed delicate kisses amongst the sticky skin of his cheeks and danced harmoniously amidst his bare chest while his bottom half remained in his toga; his leg peeking out from the thin, satin covers.

Moments later, he was beginning to grow tired and bored of the wind, wanting nothing but to escape this darned Insomnia he was battling at the moment. He graciously tossed the covers off of him; careful not to awaken the sleeping figure next to him who was resting peacefully. He found himself pausing briefly from his actions; his blue eyes lingering at the sight of her bare, defined leg gently peering out from the thin covers while the other one was tucked in underneath. The soft sounds of her heavy breathing was rather endearing and pleasing to his ears. It never dawned on him that his gaze still lingered amongst her leg, until he found his gaze slowly trailing her small, sleeping frame that was pretty much visible through the satin covers. The thin fabric traced every single curve of her body, until it stopped just shy of her slightly bare back.

He held his gaze very briefly before focusing on the thin strap of her night top that slid down her now exposed shoulder; the sight of her soft, pale skin begging for him to press his lips upon it and trail soft kisses along her flesh. But he prevented himself from doing so, rather taking a liking at just the sight of her through his eyes. Her body rose slightly with each soft breath she took; her curtain of silky hair falling delicately over her face. She looked so peaceful, untouched and not even the slightest amount of crisp wind was enough to cause a subtle flinch to erupt out of the blue. He watched her carefully, waiting for any sign of movement, only to be rewarded with nothing. She didn't make the slightest move. He envied the fact that she was able to sleep like a baby and not have anything interrupt her precious rest. Whereas he felt like a complete cat; the nocturnal instinct was what he felt. Except that in the human language, nocturnal was considered Insomnia.

He leaned in closely towards where she laid, body teetering towards her. Placing a tender hand on the small of her back while his other hand gently pushed away a few strands of hairs from her cheek, he planted a soft kiss on her temple; inhaling her sweet scent through his nostrils, the smell being quite pleasing. He found his lips lingering there for quite some time, before he leaned down and planted another on her exposed shoulder. He let a soft chuckle pass through his lips at the sounds of her delicate groaning and tiny whimpers as her body shivered at the feel of his tender touch, but she remained exactly where she was; unceremoniously sprawled out underneath the thin, satin covers. Hercules was certain that a tiny smile spread across her lips, unconvinced that she no longer abided in her peaceful sleep.

He decided to take this as an opportunity to lift his body from the mattress; the springs underneath relaxing at the feel of his heavy weight being lifted from above them. He turned back, taking one last glance at her sleeping form before focusing his gaze on the tiny balcony that was so inviting. He quietly tiptoed towards the curtains and slipped out into the brittle air that now surrounded him, inhaling the night air through his nostrils and letting it fill his lungs.

This whole situation he found rather absurd, and he couldn't understand why. He was Hercules, the most famous hero in all of Greece. He was the most gallant young man that every single citizen from around the globe had set eyes on. He was a role-model to all the little boys that admired him so greatly. He had rescued and saved numerous amounts of innocent people from unexpected danger that threatened to come their way. He had absolutely no dilemma in battling and killing off the most dangerous creature on the planet. Monsters, demons and even a giant anaconda was nothing to him; chopping their heads off was a piece of cake. Anything that jeopardized his or anyone else's safety, he could easily handle in a jiffy.

And yet, the one thing that he could not seem to battle off was this darned Insomnia. He couldn't fathom what the reason was behind his lack of ability to fall asleep at night. He wasn't sure if it was his negative thoughts, or his general fear of anything unexpected, or if it was simply because….he felt happy all of a sudden.

Did he feel happy? Did he feel sad?

Was he unable to sleep because of the sadness and negativity he was forced to endure as a teenager?

Or was he unable to sleep because…he was happy all of sudden?

He was able to distinguish all of his reasoning of why he would be unhappy. But at the same time, he was not able to put his finger on why he would feel happy all of a sudden out of nowhere. Besides being bullied and left out all of his teenage years, his mind suddenly wandered to all of the reasons of why he could feel happy, and pleased with himself.

Of course he was happy. He was loved. He had wonderful parents who cherished him. He was appreciated for who he was. And most importantly, he was a hero that everyone looked up to and depended on for their safety. He had followed his dreams, gone the distance and eventually got to where he was in this present day. He worked hard, _extremely_ hard. Everything from the blood, sweat and tears that he pushed himself through brought him to exactly where he wanted to be. He had everything that a young man could want.

So why wasn't he able to fall asleep at night?

What else was it that made him feel happy? What else could he be forgetting?

A soft shuffle of movement sounded from behind him so suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts immediately. His head turned from the dark, moonlit sky as his body soon followed, instead focusing on small but curvy figure standing shyly just a few feet from behind him. Sleep coated her eyes, but they still remained wide open and pleading. Loose strands of hair fell lightly over her right eye, the strap of her top still slid down her shoulder, exposing her flesh and her brown eyes bore into his crystal blue ones sheepishly.

Hercules was certain that he caught her cheeks flushing a deep shade of pink, feeling her gaze sheepishly trailing over his bare, muscular chest and stopped just shy of his toga that hung around his waist, down. He found himself enjoying watching the near sight of her. It pleased him to watch as the shadow of the moonlight gently bounced off of her small form; her black, silky hair glistening in the soft rays of light, giving her a perfect glow. It was like staring at a beautiful, innocent angel, causing his heart to beat rapidly inside of his chest. And that's when realization finally hit him, as if he had just figured out the last, missing piece to his puzzle.

It was her.

It had been her all along.

It was Mulan, the woman he loved, the most courageous young soldier of China. She herself was another human being that every single person loved and appreciated. She was a hero. She was adored by many young girls who looked up to her for strength, guidance and power. She had destroyed the Huns, rescued the most famous Chinese Emperor, and had saved all of China from a dangerous threat. She was a woman of strength and courage, one of who little girls wanted to be like.

Yet, here she was, standing awkwardly in the moonlight, hair looking rather slightly tangled and ravelled, with only wearing a rather short, silky pink Chinese nightgown with spaghetti straps, while one slid down her shoulder.

Hercules stared at her for a moment, wondering to himself what on earth he had done to deserve a woman as wonderful as her. And why of all the young men out there who were lined up right outside the door for her, would she have chosen him? But then, it all started to add up, making complete sense. One of the reasons why he felt so happy was because she had chosen him. She loved him. He loved her.

He cracked a warm smile in her direction.

She blushed furiously as she blinked twice, and smiled back.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

She shyly shook her head, slowly beginning to make her way over towards him, brown eyes never once leaving his blue ones. She was standing right in front of him, the distance between them becoming nonexistent. She shook her head.

"No." She responded. "By the looks of it, it didn't seem like you got any yourself."

She gave him a knowing look, sarcastically lifting a tired eyebrow. She forced herself to hold back the soft giggles that threatened to escape at the look of embarrassment that masked his face. He felt his cheeks flush to red, keeping his eyes trained on the woman standing in front of him. It was no secret that she was obviously aware of his sleepless nights. It wasn't as if his constant tossing and turning was of news to her. Oh no. She knew. And being the kind person she was, she was going to help him get to the bottom of this.

He kept his gaze on hers for a few moments, before quickly turning his head in the opposite direction and instead, faced the bright, moonlit sky before him, with the rest of his body soon following. He could feel her conscious gaze pressing into his back, which caused him to feel uneasy, but he did his best to ignore it, yet goose bumps still rose on his skin. As he kept his attention on the glittering stars that danced and twinkled before him, his train of thought was cut short when he felt a pair of small hands enveloping around his bare torso from behind, her small fingers softly rubbing his sensitive skin. He sighed in content at the feel of her body pressing against his, her lips planting a delicate kiss on his shoulder blade. He wasted no time in placing his hands above hers, his thumbs gently tracing over her soft knuckles.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, you know," she teased tenderly, resting her head against the back of his shoulder. "These things happen."

He heaved a wheezy sigh. "I know. You're right. Lately, I've just been feeling…restless."

"I see." She stifled a yawn. "But…why?"

He shook his head at the thought. "I…I really couldn't tell you. I mean, I'm not sure if it's because of…sudden depression or…if it's just because…I feel happy."

She tilted her head, eyes now wide open and fully alert, sneaking a peek at him over his broad shoulder, gaze carefully fixed on his person.

"Well whatever it is, it's been keeping you from sleeping at night."

He rolled his eyes in annoyance at the thought. "I know, and it's been really bothering me lately."

"Well, I guess now is the perfect time to find out."

He nodded at her choice of words, before gently peeling himself from her delicate embrace, leaving her standing in the open of the flowing curtains as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, the night air flowing gently around her as tiny goose bumps began to form on her warm flesh.

Hercules wasted no time in grabbing what looked like some sort of heavy, soft quilt that hung limply over the teetering chair that sat outside on the small balcony. He lowered his body onto the wooden, with the quilt wrapped halfway around his form. He looked into her eyes, watching carefully as the wind began to pick up, her hair dancing and flowing vibrantly in the wind with such grace and beauty. He smiled, opening his other arm out, inviting her to join him. She blinked twice, before a warm smile graced her lips and she gladly accepted his invitation, venturing her way over towards him as she climbed onto his lap and snuggled against his chest. He quickly closed the quilt then shielded the both of them completely as the wind swiftly began to pick up some more.

They both sat in silence, watching the twinkling stars scattered among them in the dark sky. The moonlight shimmered brightly with such vibrancy. They were enjoying each passing silence that came next after the other, not wanting anything or any unexpected noise to break it. That was, until Hercules broke it, a pleasing expression masked his face.

"You know, being out here like this makes me reflect back on the things that…make me happy."

Mulan lifted her head from his chest, curiously peering into his blue eyes.

"Really?" She asked curiously. "What is that makes you happy?"

Hercules thought for a moment, and then answered. "Having my parents there to support me. Being able to wake up the next day and to see what that day has to offer."

Mulan nodded, smiling.

"Knowing that, I was able to go the distance and chase after my dream," He continued, gazing into her brown eyes. "And knowing that I've achieved my goal."

"You have a lot to be thankful for, Herc."

He smiled. "And you do too, Mulan."

That was when her smile slowly began to fade, almost completely disappearing from her features. As soon as those words had escaped from his mouth so confidently, she couldn't help but wonder. What was it that she was thankful for? What was it that made her as happy as Hercules? Was there anything that she had accomplished to make her feel…happy and proud of herself?

A troublesome look crossed her features as she tore her gaze away from his and rested her head against his chest, knowing full well that he was able to sense her sudden discomfort. Hercules's brow furrowed in confusion; he was unable to take his eyes off the young woman resting against his form.

"You know you have a lot to be thankful for, Mulan. You know that."

His voice was clear as day, which immediately pulled her out of her thoughts, but continued to keep her gaze from staring into his. She couldn't help but wince at his choice in words that her ears were forced to digest. Sure, she could be thankful. But what was there for her to be thankful about exactly? She closed her eyes shut and gathered up the courage to open her mouth to speak.

"I-I know…" She whispered. "But…"

"But?"

She peered into his eyes, searching for the right words. "I'm just not…exactly proud of…the things that I've done."

He gave her an incredulous look, his eyes searching hers.

"Things like…what?"

"You know…" She mumbled. "I failed…my matchmaker's test back home."

"So?"

"So?" She questioned, looking straight into his eyes. "That just means I'm not fit to be a wife. And…that's not even the worst part. I…stole my father's armour…ran away from home and impersonated a _male _soldier. I lied to my troops and to my troop leader."

"But you saved the Emperor's palace, and the emperor himself," Hercules reasoned.

Mulan stared at him as if what he had just said was the craziest thing on the planet.

"I _destroyed _his palace!" She said sternly, her voice sounding weak. "And I…disgraced…Chinese culture all together."

Hercules only stared at her disbelief and shock. If he didn't know any better and if it weren't for every single thing that had slipped out of her mouth, he never would have known how down on herself she was. He never would have known that she was feeling nothing but miserable this entire time. And here he was counting his blessings right in front of her without even knowing, which made him feel nothing but guilty. Guilt for not being able to look into her eyes and see the things the way she sees them.

But she was Mulan, the hero who saved China, the courageous young woman that everyone loved and adored. She was a hero and she had a lot to be thankful for, even if her past wasn't exactly the easiest thing for her to get through. He knew she had a lot to be thankful and happy for, and he was going to make her see it.

Tilting her chin with his fingers, he looked her straight in the eye, opening his mouth to speak.

"Mulan, so your past wasn't the greatest," He explained. "And you happened to have made a few bumps along the way. But at this point, all of that doesn't really matter now."

She frowned, not taking her eyes off of his. "It matters to me."

"Well, it shouldn't."

"Well why shouldn't it, Hercules?" She sighed in annoyance.

Hercules stared at her carefully. "Mulan, without your help, the Emperor and everyone else in China would all be dead right now. If you hadn't have stolen your father's armour and disguised yourself as a man, China would have been in great danger right this very minute."

She let every single one of his words sink carefully into her system, her gaze softened at his choice of his words. He was right. Maybe she wasn't the perfect bride, or the perfect daughter, but she was a strong individual and she had proven that to everyone. Now she did have something to be thankful for after all, even if some of her choices weren't exactly the best she had made back in the past. She had saved China, and she had brought her family honour. She couldn't help but smile sheepishly, burying her face in his bare chest as she snuggled closer.

"I guess…you're right." She chuckled softly. "I do have a lot to be thankful for after all."

Hercules smiled, resting his chin atop her head. "You do, you just have to realize it."

"Mhm."

"But, do you want to know what I'm really thankful for?"

She tilted her head back to focus her curious gaze on his, her eyes searching his for an answer.

"What's that?" She asked softly.

"You."

A smile graced her lips. "Really?"

He nodded. "Of course. I don't think I would even be here if it wasn't for you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Mulan."

She suppressed a light chuckle. "And you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. We've…been through a lot…but we've, managed to find each other."

He did nothing but plant a tender kiss on her forehead and gently pull her back towards his chest as she snuggled closer, a smile emitting from her person as she sighed in content, closing her eyelids shut while enjoying the soft rhythm of his heartbeat. He held her close, resting his chin atop her head while using his hand to stroke through her silky hair lovingly, while his other hand caressed the exposed skin of her bare shoulder.

He was truly grateful for everything that had been sent his way.

Neither of them would have wished otherwise.

* * *

**And that's a wrap! What did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? If you loved it, then that's great! Show your love and R&R! If you hated it, then that's okay too I guess. As always, I want to thank my most loyal reviewer, bs13! And last but not least, I want to give another big shout out to my beta, daisygirl101! Thank you so, so much for doing this! You're amazing! Like I said before, there will be plenty more of these one-shots ahead! If you guys have any suggestions as to what you would like to see, don't hesitate to review or PM me! I will be more than happy to incorporate it into here! Anyways, more to come soon! Thanks guys! Mwah! **


	4. Always By Your Side

**Here's the next one-shot. Just a heads up, this one-shot may contain some heavy elements that might be rather disheartening to read. Shout out once again to my amazing beta, daisygirl101! **

**Hope you guys enjoy. **

**Suggestions are welcome.**

* * *

Dark, gray clouds were now covering the bright sky that loomed above; the once radiant, golden sun had now completely disappeared behind the dusky clouds that had rudely pushed it aside so abruptly. It was now dreary and gloomy, rather than bright and dazzling. It was then when a sudden wetness had dropped so unexpectedly from up above, then another drop came down, and then another, and another….

Rain.

It had now begun to rain; the drops pouring brutally down from the dreary sky above as it now covered every single shrub on the ground. Every single person rushed to get back to his or her warm and toasty cottages. Eager to escape from the brutal downpour, they dashed away from the unpleasant weather, the sounds of their heavy footsteps sloshing into the now slimy mud and grass, none wanting to become drenched.

Hercules tried to avoid the rambunctious citizens that with so much negligence would run smack into him, or attempt to push him out of their way, but he was not very successful in the process. His damp hair clung to the back of his neck while the rest of his toga clung to his body. He was already absolutely soaked from only being stuck in the rain for just a few minutes. He suppressed a muffled groan in annoyance as he managed to glare up at the dark sky, raindrops spilling down his cheeks as one landed right in his eye, using the back of his hand to wipe away the wetness quickly.

It angered him deeply that the weather was capable of changing so quickly and so abruptly. One minute, the sun was shimmering and dazzling high up in the sky among the citizens, giving everyone the time and opportunity to catch up with close friends and relatives. And then all of sudden…BAM! As soon as he steps out from around the barn, the downfall of the brutal rain began, and everyone started off in such a hassle to return to their homes, eager to escape this nasty weather.

Although he had only been visiting, he had to be honest with himself that China was not exactly his favourite place to visit. The climate and the overall atmosphere in China were different compared to how it was back in Greece. He knew right off the bad that the citizens here would treat him differently than how he was used to being treated back home. Of course he wasn't the most accepted person, rather being just as unpopular here as he is back in his hometown.

Having his fair share of encountering rather unmannerly people was definitely not the greatest experience he's had here, but aside from all of that, Hercules was here for one specific person in general, and there was no way he was going to let this negative attention stop him from doing so.

He heaved a heavy sigh as he trotted his way through the brutal downpour, his heavy sandals sinking almost deep inside the slimy mud with each step he took. He was eager to reach the destination that he had been so ambitious to get to. He was ready to see that same familiar smiling face that he had grown so fond of and so used to seeing every time he were to pay a surprise visit.

He suppressed a subtle smile at the thought. Seeing her bright, enthusiastic features popping into his mind the minute he stepped foot towards her cottage, her small arms opened wide and welcoming his company into her home. He could see it all laid out in front of him, and he could not wait to surprise her yet again like he had always done. Being the reason behind her bright smile, he would never have wished otherwise.

The thought never occurred to him until this very moment as he was now standing right outside her doorstep, inhaling a deep breath before giving a gentle knock on the wooden door. He waited patiently for a few moments, hearing the soft shuffling of feet that dragged across the stoned ground. A look of confusion crossed his features, wondering what exactly was happening on the other side of that door.

It was then when the sounds of the door hinges squeaking open caught his attention, his heart beating rapidly in excitement, as he was eager to see that smiling face he had grown so accustomed to on the other side of the door. He pierced his lips into that same, bright smile that was so welcoming, the kind that brought immediate comfort and filled one's insides with joy and sparks.

But instead, his smile slowly faded, face falling into a rather worrisome expression as he was face to face with the person he expected the least to be present right in front of him. The look on the small figure's face said otherwise, sadness and grief painted across the features of the frail, white-haired older woman standing slightly hunched before him, eyes all red and puffy while her bottom lip quivered slightly. And right then and there, he knew that something was not right, not at all.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong, and he knew that he needed to get to the bottom of this once and for all. He did nothing but inhale slowly, before opening his mouth to speak.

"W-where's….Mulan?"

* * *

The rain began to pick up; the sounds of raindrops pouring heavily down from the gray sky looming above as they hit the ground so loudly below. Pretty soon, almost the entire town of China was now covered in complete dampness from head to toe.

It wasn't too cold, nor was it too humid, which was how Mulan preferred the rainy weathers, especially when she needed to release a tremendous amount of stress. But right now in her case, it was the perfect timing.

Meanwhile as she was almost completely oblivious as to what was going on around her at this very minute, Mulan had forced herself to suck in a deep breath, before it quickly escaped from her mouth in a blur. Her knees hugged tightly to her chest, her head buried in her knees as she let out a rather emphatic sob that had risen from her chest. She was completely soaked from head to toe as she cowered against the statue of the Great Stoned Dragon; her silk dress clung to her body, her black silky hair hugging the back of her damp neck as a mixture of raindrops and fresh, salty tears raced down her pale cheeks.

In all of the years, she would have never expected something as tragic as this happen. Not once. Not ever.

At this very moment, it felt like everything had instantly collapsed all around her, like bricks of walls disintegrating into pieces on the solid, cold grounds. As hard as she tried, refusing to believe such shocking news that she had accidently overheard, it was no use. What she had heard was real, no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise that it was nothing but a huge lie. Deep down, she knew this was true, but she would allow her thoughts to try and convince her otherwise.

She felt as if her heart had shattered to a million pieces; her eyes were puffy and red with exhaustion, her pale cheeks flushed and almost drained her usual, natural colour, her body now shivering slightly from the sudden coldness that was now blanketing her once, warm skin. She hugged her knees tighter towards her chest, and she managed to let out another choked sob that was wedged deep inside her throat.

Everything had happened so fast and so abrupt. This news had doubtlessly been too much for her to handle. It was undeniably something that she would have never in her life wanted to hear, but deep down, she knew she would've found out eventually one way or another.

In a way, she had blamed herself. Regretted every decision she had made in her life. She regretted that her family, including herself mostly, had grown so distant from her extended her family. Regretted the fact she never had the opportunity to get to know any of them as much as she had wanted, and right now at this very moment, nothing could change that. Nothing could change the fact that that opportunity that she had once craved for was now long gone, completely flushed away down the river.

As she had now broken down into a rather heavy sob, it never occurred to her that the sound of soft, but rather heavy footsteps trailed their way towards her, taking soft tentative steps as the puddles of rain trailed his every step. Mulan could immediately sense another individual's presence looming above her, but at the same time, she didn't have to look up to know that the person that was standing so unsettled above her was the person she expected to see, the person she needed the most on a day like this, the person who would comfort her no matter what.

There, Hercules stood patiently, a rather apologetic and worrisome gaze painted all over his face. Now he definitely knew that something was wrong, something that was causing this entire family a tremendous amount of pain and exhaustion. His crystal, blue eyes glazed over her small form that rested beneath him carefully, wondering just how to approach the topic as delicately as possible.

The clapping of thunder had soon joined in, nearly startling Hercules as his body jumped abruptly at the booming sound that had surrounded him. The raindrops poured harder than ever, pretty much soaking the two individuals in just a split second. He took another step towards her, the distance between them suddenly non-existent in a matter of seconds. Her shoulders shook with every sob that had erupted from inside of her system as she kept her head buried in the cracks between her knees, sobbing heavily as the rain cascaded harder down her drenched body.

Hercules managed to suck in a deep breath, gently reaching his hands out to cup both sides of her face and slowly lifting her head up to meet his eyes with her own puffy ones. Both of their faces soaked with the fresh liquid that fell from the skies above them, as Hercules gently used his thumbs to stroke her cheeks and right then and there, that's when it hit him, hard in the gut.

He knew her all too well. He was able to see past the tears itself, enough to know that this was definitely something more tragic as opposed to the regular routine of Mulan having gotten in her usual fight with her parents. No, this was much more than that. Having looked straight into her eyes while trying to prevent the tears that now welled up inside of his own to spill down his cheeks, Hercules could automatically distinguish the look of pain, hurt and shock that filled her eyes.

Biting his lip in anticipation, he was able to open his mouth to speak.

"Mulan…." He began, sounding somewhat breathless. "W-what…..what happened?"

The young woman bit down on her lower lip, hard enough to draw just tiny drips of blood. This was definitely killing her inside. Hearing those familiar words made her realize that she was hurting too much inside to even confess as to what was happening around her. She felt as though as she was not able to keep her eyes trained on his for much longer, tearing her eyes away as she broke down into another heavy sob, much harder than before.

Hercules only stared at his close friend in emotional pain, knowing that whatever was happening currently was not only painful for her to bear, but he knew that it was only eating her up inside slowly and severely. He needed to know what was happening. Why not only Mulan herself? The rest of her family was in a tremendous amount of pain too. He wasted no time in gently helping her down from the statue, her body shivering as her warm feet met the cold, wet ground as the chill shot straight up from her feet to the rest of her body.

He held onto her tightly in his arms, feeling her small hands grasp the fabric of his now soaked toga and sobbed tediously into his chest, letting out all of the hurt and pain she was feeling inside of her system. Never in her life, would she be able to erase those shocking words that she was forced to hear. Those same words that she had overheard right this very morning.

* * *

_***Earlier that morning….***_

_The sun shone clearly; its bright rays of sunlight dazzling in the sky and winking at the eager individuals below and not a single peek of that familiar white, puffy cloud was in the blue sky. The sound of the rooster cocking loudly as its chime echoed throughout the Fa family residence; the sound surrounded and filled the all-around the barn as the sound carried right through the crack of the slightly open window, signalling that yet another day was right ahead and it needn't be wasted any longer._

_Normally on a day like this, a girl like Mulan would've blatantly ignored the calling all together, simply because she was definitely not a morning person. She was the type to usually sleep right through the morning and awake in the afternoon, skipping out on breakfast along with her daily chores; which of course caused some heated friction between her parents and her, but not so much with her grandmother, seeing as though Granny Fa was more of the laid back type._

_But surprisingly on a day like today, Mulan had figured otherwise. She had awakened much earlier than she had thought she would; eager to get started on her daily chores around the barn and such so she could get on with her day and not have to worry about her other tardy commitments she knew she would leave until the last minute. _

_She had made sure the cows were nursed and fed with much care; she managed gather some fresh milk from the cows; she even let the pigs and their little piglets splash about happily in the watery mud as they all squealed with joy. Taking care of the cows and pigs was nothing but a piece of cake, they were definitely not the ones to put up some sort of fight, unlike the angry mob of hens she had to deal with whenever she would try to steal an armful of their eggs for breakfast. She never had to deal such hostility when milking the cows as much as had to deal with the raging hens in the mornings. But she was able to handle them, despite her hatred towards having to deal with their possessiveness in the mornings._

_As those things were now complete and crossed off her list, Mulan was now currently straightening out the hay the lay right inside of her horse – Kahn's – stable. She was just about finished, which was nothing but a huge relief to her. Feeling as the knots began to tighten down her lower back, she decided to use this opportunity to take a small break; gasping slightly in pain as she slowly stretched upright; unfolding her back and releasing the tension of bones and muscles that were now tangled with one another. _

_She could feel the heat of the sun's rays beginning to increase, feeling hotter than ever before since she had first stepped outside. She inhaled a deep breath through her nose before spitting it back out so quickly and abruptly, feeling the heat from the sun baking right through her skin. Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of her cheeks as her father's old training clothes had stuck to her back in the process._

_As she was in the middle of taking her small break, Mulan had no choice but to allow her mind to wander; wander in happiness. Her happiness had been built up on the fact that she had received a letter from her closest friend, Hercules, stating that he would be coming down all the way from Greece to visit her China for the week, and Mulan couldn't have felt any more ecstatic than she's ever felt in her whole life. In a way, she had grown up with him; from childhood to their late teenage years. Mulan smiled at the thought of seeing that same, warm smile on his face that filled her insides with happiness and joy; smiled at the thought of having her problems and fears instantly disappear right into the dust with the feel of his warm presence lingering near her. She was just so happy at the thought of getting the chance to see her best friend again for the very first time in two years._

_She managed to push her hair away from her sweaty brow as she instantly got back to work. Her thoughts had only encouraged her to hurry and finish off the last bit of her chores so she could cease the morning with her routine and be able to call it a day. Relief cascaded over her as she let out a sigh in content, resting the rake against the wooden door to the stable as she placed both hands on her hips, admiring her fine work of straightening out the hay in the barn. _

'_Kahn better appreciate my handy work' _

_She muttered under her breath, turning her body as she pursed her lips together, blowing air through her lips that suddenly turned into a rather high-pitched chime. She whistled for her trusty horse; signalling that he was more than welcome to approach his little home. A smile tugged at her lips, witnessing the familiar shade of black barrelling down towards her; his hooves tromping through grass as the softly thudded against the ground beneath. _

_A soft chuckle passed through her lips as Kahn eagerly approached her; whining in excitement and pressed his snout against her slightly sweaty cheek tenderly. Mulan gently pat his side in comfort, like how a mother would softly pat her child's head as she placed a soft peck on his snout._

"_That's my good boy." She cooed tenderly. _

"_Mulan!"_

_She had heard the voice loud and clear as it echoed all around her; causing her brow to arch up in confusion, her head turning as the rest of her body soon followed. Judging by how loud the voice had rung, it was clear that whoever was trying to get a hold of her attention was not that far behind. At first, confusion had crossed Mulan's features, wondering to herself who on earth would be yelling her name at this time in the morning. However, she couldn't help but think that the voice had sounded strangely familiar. _

_She glared through the sunlight as she witnessed what looked a short figure jogging quickly towards her; watching carefully as the form bounced through the rays of sunshine with each leap they took. It was then when Mulan finally realized exactly who the person was; noting how the sun bounced off her black, silky hair while it shadowed her every move. Of course, Mulan silently rolled her eyes as she realized it was only her cousin, Mei, whom she had least expected to show up at her cottage – that is if was only when she needed something urgent._

"_Hey Mei," Mulan greeted her cousin warmly. "How is everything?"_

_The young girl stopped in her tracks; standing a few feet away from Mulan as a look of sadness and disappointment filled her eyes. A frown in confusion creased on Mulan's eyebrows as she witnessed the uneasy expression that was plastered on her cousins' face; watching carefully as she nervously twiddled her fingers, her hands slightly shaking in the process. Soon, Mulan's expression immediately went from confusion to worrisome as she witnessed what looked like a single tear drop slithering down her cousin's cheek. Right then and there, Mulan knew something was up._

"_Mei, what's wrong?" Mulan's voice cracked slightly; nerves piling inside of her system._

_The young girl stared right into Mulan's anxious eyes; revealing the puffiness and redness from her eyes straight to Mulan. Her bottom lip quivered in the process, wondering exactly where to start with this whole thing. More tears cascaded down her cheeks, before she blinked twice and finally blurted out the unbearable truth._

"_It's Chein-Po." Mei blurted; choking on a sob that had threatened to erupt from her throat._

_Instantly, the knots inside Mulan's stomach began to tighten at the mention of her dear cousin's name; swallowing a big blob of saliva as her eyes widened in alarm. Even though she is definitely no doctor, she was certain that her heart was about to beat right out of her chest in any given minute. _

_She gulped, before she slowly opened her mouth to speak._

"_I-is…" she stuttered. "Is…he okay?"_

_Mei bit down on her lower lip, anticipating whether or not now was such a good time to spill the brutal truth. She stifled on a sob, trying to blink the tears away in the process, before she slowly opened her mouth to speak._

"_He…he had a heart attack earlier this morning Mulan," Mei whispered; her words filling her lips with emotional pain. "And….he…passed away."_

_Immediately, that's when the words hit home; hitting her hard in the gut; her eyes widened in alarm; wider than ever before. She felt as her jaw dropped to the ground. Horror, shock, hurt and pain cascaded over her all in one splash. She felt as if her cousin's words had instantly knocked the wind right out of her system._

_Her knees buckled right under her; using her hand to grab hold of her chest tightly as she struggled to breathe; her heart beating violently against her chest as if it had just been stomped on and ripped viciously out of her system. Hot tears welled up in her eyes as they cascaded slowly down her cheeks. Mulan refused to believe the words that had slipped out of her cousin's mouth; those same words that her ears were forced to digest._

_She couldn't believe it. This couldn't be. No, this was all a lie. It had to be a lie. No way could this have happened so soon and so abrupt._

_Mulan shook her head; refusing to believe this so-called trick that her cousin was trying to play on her. No, she would not allow her mind to be convinced that this was the truth. She drew in a few deep breaths; struggling to find the words that needed to be said._

"_No!" She gasped, shaking her head quickly. "No! Mei, this can't be true. You're lying to me. You're lying to me!"_

_Mei choked on a sob; letting her own tears spill down her cheeks in the process._

"_I-I…..I wish I was Mulan," She mumbled through her tears. "I wish this whole thing was a lie!"_

"_NO!" Mulan cried; fighting against the sob that was threatening to escape from her throat. "No, no, no! Please tell me this is all a lie! Chien-Po….c-can't be dead…..No! He…..he can't be….!"_

_Mei stayed silent; breaking into a silent sob in the process as she viciously wiped the tears from her eyes, not able to say anything else in response to convince her cousin that this was not at all a joke, no matter how much she wished for it to be._

_In a matter of seconds, Mulan allowed herself to break down into a sob; bowing her head as she clutched onto her chest whilst using her other hand to grasp onto the wooden door for support. In happened so suddenly when she felt her weight pressing into her knees before she slowly dropped down to the ground; burying her face in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably._

_This can't be happening. It can't be. Chien-Po, her dear cousin that was an extended part of her family was now dead. How could this have happened? Why did something as tragic as this have to happen on a day like today? And of all people, why Chien-Po? Why did this have to happen to him? Why did he have to go so soon?_

'_Why' was all she could ask herself. At this moment, Mulan was currently at complete loss for words, and right now all she could do was weep and bawl; while her Mei had done the same and joined her in the process mourning over their dear cousin – the cousin that was so important to them, while at the same time, which neither of them needn't have enough time to cherish him._

"_I was hoping you wouldn't have to find out this way."_

_A soft voice had said from behind the two cousins; nearly startling the two as Mulan gasped and looked straight up to see her mother's small figure looming over the two. Her tearful eyes met what looked to be her mother's puffy and red ones, knowing full well that she had been mourning herself after having found out the terrible news._

"_Mama…." She blubbered through her tears; feeling her heart weighing in her chest. "P-please…..t-tell me….it isn't true? Please….mama…."_

_Sadness and pain cascaded over Fa Li; feeling her own tears resuming back from their previous state as they poured over her eyelids. She bit down on her lower lip in anticipation; her heart shattering to a million pieces at the mere sight of how emotionally damaged her only child had just now felt. She wanted to lie and convince her that this was all just a horrible nightmare, but she knew she couldn't. If she had done so, she would not only be lying to her daughter, but to herself as well. _

_She heaved a wheezy sigh, before slowly nodding her head; tears spilling down her cheeks as she gradually lowered body and rested her weight on her knees, staring into her daughter's eyes before she opened her mouth to speak._

"_I wish I could, honey," Fa Li whispered in pain. "But…it's true. He's….really gone."_

_Mulan had no choice but to let out another rather ear-splitting sob; the weight of her body impelling in a rather weakened state. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders in comfort, realizing that they had belonged to her mother as Fa Li held onto her daughter tightly. Mulan sobbed into her mother's chest; mumbling words of denial about this whole situation, while Mei rested her head against Mulan's shoulder blade as she weeped herself._

"_No, no, no, no!" Mulan mumbled into the fabric of her mother's rob; her mouth full of silk material. "No….Chien-Po….no! Please no!"_

_Just like that, it felt as if everything had come crumbling down in a matter of seconds._

_Smack!_

_Just like that._

_Never in all of her years would Mulan have expected this to happen. Ever. She never would have expected that Chein-Po of all people in her family would be the first to go so soon. And at this point, as much as she wished she could just rewind this whole morning, her dear cousin, Chein Po was gone, and she would never ever see him again._

_She would never be able to get him back._

_Ever._

* * *

*****_**Later this Evening***_

The rain had stopped completely; the stoned grounds covered in trails of puddles, dampness blanketed around the evergreen grasses and the cherry blossom trees were concealed in films of slithering of streams that the previous thunderstorm had leftover. Instead of having to listen to the hard pitter-patter of the heavy downpour of the rainfall, the only sound that could be heard was the harmonious silence that passed by each second, and not a sound was made.

The previous weeping and heavy mourning sessions managed to settle down and it was now quiet around the Fa family household; silent even. Not a single word or syllable was made or heard, except for the shuffling of footsteps that dragged amongst the wooden ground beneath; wandering from point A to point B in a rather sluggish manner.

Neither Mulan, nor her family even touched a single plate of food, or a single grain of rice. For nearly three hours, she went the full day without consuming anything, not even the taste of her favourite Longjing tea was able to satisfy her taste-buds at this very moment. Nothing could help her in the process of her grieving. The news had been too much for her to bear and handle on her own; provoking much anguish and emotional wounds to burn a large whole through her cardiac organ.

This was way too much to handle in one day.

Redundant even.

She lay on her small bed with small frame curled up in a tight ball; the mattress slightly sinking with the weight of her body pressed against it. Her large brown eyes a deep shade of red with puffiness and fatigue surrounded around them; but they remained glued to the stain glass window that stared right back at her, with not even a single blink.

She had wrapped her body in a sea of silk blankets tightly around her frame, and her cheeks were flushed and paler than ever. Hercules had continued to stay by her side for almost the entire day. He couldn't help but feel worried about her; his crystal, blue eyes glazed over her small form that was camouflaged in the silk fabric, and he even managed to let a few tears fall down his cheeks in the process.

He knew deep down that the sudden tragedy was much too excessive for Mulan to handle on her own. He knew that she desperately needed him to help get her back on her feet; to soothe her in her time of need and to let her know that everything was going to be okay. And most importantly, that this was definitely not something she should blame herself for.

This wasn't her fault.

It never was, and it should never be.

Throughout the years that he and Mulan have known each other, he always knew her to be the most kind-hearted, down-to-earth, carefree and the strongest person he knew all these years, and it worried so much to witness how weak and vulnerable she was at this moment; like she had been broken all-together.

He remembered meeting Chien-Po once and to Hercules and everyone else, Chien-Po was definitely someone that you could never, ever forget, but rather someone to always remember and hold dear to your heart. He was the sweetest, down-to-earth, humorous and the most humble person known to mankind. He remembered vividly how quickly he was shunned amongst meeting the rest of Mulan's relatives, but Chien-Po thought otherwise. He had refused to see the imperfect but decided to reach out a hand to find the goodness and equality instead. Chien-Po had welcomed Hercules with open arms and would take him under his wing, and he had done the exact same with Mulan herself.

Amazement cascaded over Hercules as his thoughts wandered. It never occurred to him in such a short period of time that he had felt so humbled at the shocking news of Chien-Po's sudden death. In that short period of time, it felt like he had known him all his life. He already had felt that warmness and embrace from someone who was sort of a complete stranger to him. But he knew that Mulan slightly knew him a bit better than he had. But at the same time, Mulan had barely gotten to know more about him herself, which was what caused her the tremendous amount of hurt she was currently feeling.

Mulan had only ever seen him three times throughout her whole, sixteen years. She knew him well enough to remember him, to remember his face and to remember his warmness and sense of humour, but she had never gotten the chance to bond with him, to open up to him and to discover who he really was as a person on her own, which was what killed her inside.

She would never get that opportunity to cherish him like the rest of her family had gotten to do.

She would never see him again.

Ever.

And she blamed herself. Blamed herself for being so distant; for not being the bigger person as to pick up a feather of ink and send him a note to see how life was treating him. She mentally scolded herself for being so selfish and so oblivious to everything that happened around her.

A sigh passed through Hercules's lips; his eyes pleading with some sort of approval, not taking his eyes off the young girl sprawled out beside, wondering exactly where he should start. He pressed his lips into a firm line, before he opened them to speak.

"Mulan," He breathed. "I-I'm so sorry….that you and your family have to go through this."

Silence loomed amongst them; with Mulan biting down her lower lip, preventing yet another sob that attempted to force its way up her throat. She hid deeper inside the blankets, her back turned toward him.

"I know this is extremely difficult to take in," He continued softly; blinking as he cautiously teetered his body towards hers and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. "You….shouldn't have to go through this alone."

Mulan stifled in another sob; sniffling in the process as tears cascaded down her cheeks, pulling the blankets tighter around her shoulders.

"Mulan, I want you to know, that I will always be by your side," He promised tenderly. "I'm never going to leave you like this in your time of need."

As much as she wanted to mourn, Mulan didn't feel like she had the energy. She didn't have the strength to burst into another waterfall of tears and weeps any longer. The power was instantly drained out of her system and physical pain pumped through her blood vessels all the way to her head in a matter seconds, which was hurting too much to resume her previous mourning sessions from earlier today.

Hearing his words was the only thing that could attempt to try and make things better, even though the news was still too much to bear. Her body shook in agony as she slowly peered over her shoulder; her red eyes staring into his pleading ones. Her body soon followed as she flipped herself over so that they were both face-to-face with another. She felt as his hands gently pulled her slump body closer towards him; letting her head rest on his lap in comfort while he softly ran his fingers through her silky hair warmly in response.

"Don't….leave me, Hercules," She mumbled through her tears. "Please…stay with me? I-I…..I need you….and I….don't want to be alone right now."

"Shh." He cooed softly; blinking back the tears that threatened to escape from his eyes. "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."

He held her close in his arms, like how a father would protect his child and comforts them and with that, all that could be heard were the sounds of her soft, rapid breathing as she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Mulan couldn't distinguish what was causing her the most afflictions. Was it the fact that just two years ago, she attended Chein-Po's traditional wedding and now here she was, dressed in all black to attend his funeral?

Was it the fact that she had to choke back a distressed sob as her eyes came in contact with Chein-Po's cold, motionless body laying so peacefully in the coffin that was shielded with a blue cloth while his face was concealed with a yellow one while Hercules stood by her side?

Or was it the fact that she now had to witness his burial in the rain, as she sobbed into Hercules's chest as her whole entire family (immediate and extended) watched in sadness and grief as the coffin was now being lowered slowly into the dirty grounds, with Chein-Po's body placed right inside.

Each and every one was no worse than the other. Either way, the sight of it was all too agonizing to take in. The sounds of mourning and weeping all chimed and chorused together in one grieving melody, as this was the very last time Chien-Po would ever be seen again, and it carved a deeper whole in Mulan's heart at the thought and near-sight of everything.

Chien-Po, her dear cousin whom she had never gotten the chance to cherish, was now gone.

Forever.

And not even begging, pleading or even a sincere apology could bring him back.

She imposed herself to apologize to him. Apologize for everything that has happened. How she never got the chance to open up towards him; never getting the chance she's always wanted to bond with him and to discover more about him. She had apologized for living on her other relatives' fond memories of him throughout almost her entire life. She apologized for being so oblivious and selfish; for not making the effort to pick up a brush of ink and write him a letter. But the most important thing that she had apologized to him was not getting the chance to tell him that she loved him.

Of course she loved him. And she knew deep down that he loved her too. She would always hold him dear to her heart, and he knew that for sure.

She deeply envied every single one of her relatives that had gotten to know him, even her cousin Mei who knew him slightly better than she had known him; gotten to bond with him and to soak up all the memorable moments they had with him, while she was left out in the dust; left unknown and curious. She regretted it all.

Everything that has happened and how her life had turned out to be. She had taken him for granted.

And for all that she knew, this regret would live with her for the rest of her life, until the day she dies.

Hercules kept his word and continued to stand by her for as long as she needed. He stifled back a sob of his own as Mulan mourned into his chest; holding her close tightly towards him.

The funeral and burial had ended in a blur and the rest of the family were encouraged dimly saunter away from the hillside where the reception will soon begin to take place.

Hercules had gently guided Mulan away from the burial, holding onto her as she buried her face in her hands; mourning the loss of her cousin whom she would never get to see again. He eventually came to a slow stop as he allowed his friend to sob into his chest, hugging her shivering body close towards his own.

"He will be okay, Mulan." Hercules whispered; holding her close. "He is at peace now, and he is in a better place."

"I-I know…." She choked; grasping onto the fabric of his jacket. "B-but…..I just….feel like it's my fault! I'm so….selfish! I-I never….got the chance….t-to spend enough time with him….o-or to tell him….t-that I-I loved him!"

Hercules let out a tender sigh; fighting back the tears that threatened to escape his own eyes.

"Mulan, none of this is your fault," He said soothingly. "None of it. You shouldn't blame yourself for something that you can't undo. Just know that Chien-Po will always love you, even if you didn't get the chance to know him as well as you wanted to. It's how life goes."

Mulan stayed silent; allowing his words to sink in deeply. She knew that Chien-Po will always love her and everyone else around him. He brought all of these people together as a whole; joining together as one equal. He had made an impact on every single person in this entire family, and no way was he impelling guilt or regret to be part of his legacy.

And deep down Mulan knew that Hercules was right.

Every word of wisdom that spilled out of his mouth chorused together in harmony and unison; bringing her a slight sense of comfort. Chien-Po was now at peace; body and soul and he always will be. In her mind, she knew that he would keep every single person that he's ever loved close with him and guide them in the right direction.

"Its times like this in life where we shouldn't take people for granted," He continued softly; resting his chin atop her head. "And Mulan, I want you to know something."

She looked into his warm eyes; curiosity washing over her as she patiently awaits his confession.

"No matter what happens, even if we're a mile apart, I will always be by your side; I promise you that."

A weak smile spread across her lips through her vicious tears; letting another soft weep pass escape from her system as she buried her face in his chest, and this time, Hercules silently joined in. He didn't weep so heavily like how she did, but instead rather lamented in a hushed tone; two close friends desperately clinging onto one another in comfort, joining together as one.

One thing is for sure that Mulan knew, is that life was definitely too short. It can't rewind back to the past, nor can it fast-forward to the future. It's just one, simultaneous film that can never be interfered with.

Chien-Po is in a better place, and his spirit would be with her where ever she decides to go.

And he will never be forgotten.

* * *

_**Dedicated (In loving memory) to D.C. (1976-2013)**_

_**You will never be forgotten.**_

**I hope no one is too hard on me for making this one-shot such a tragedy. This one-shot was based on true events in my life. Recently, I just lost a dear cousin of mine a few weeks ago. I have to admit, I was and still am a bit nervous to share this all with you but in the end, writing down my feelings into this one-shot was able to help me cope with the grieving process. I decided to use Chein-Po from the movie 'Mulan' as her cousin. Mulan's thoughts and regrets towards Chien-Po mirrored my own emotions about the connection I had with my cousin. **

**This was definitely the longest one-shot I've written and I apologize if it didn't portray much of the focus on Hercules and Mulan that much. This was simply a chapter I felt needed to help get my thoughts out and to keep my juices flowing in the process. **

**But I hope you all enjoy this, even though this was rather a heavy and disheartening topic to read about. Let me know what you all think! More to come very soon. Suggestions are welcome. **


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